Nicholas Scott Hammann, 36, a White male, was found mortally wounded just after 1:20 a.m. on October 1, 2022, when neighbors in Portland’s Wilkes neighborhood reported gunfire near Northeast Sandy Boulevard and Northeast 162nd Avenue. North Precinct officers arrived within minutes and discovered him down in the darkness at the edge of the quiet crossroads; paramedics could only confirm he had died at the scene.
The medical examiner later ruled his death a homicide caused by a gunshot wound, and detectives began the slow work of canvassing the area and collecting evidence as dawn crept over the far edge of the city.
In the days that followed, police publicly identified the victim as Nicholas Scott Hammann and appealed for information, but they did not describe a motive or release details about a suspect. Local coverage noted the early-morning timing and the precise location at the city’s eastern boundary, where Sandy Boulevard meets 162nd Avenue, underscoring how quickly the investigation overtook an otherwise routine night. As of those initial reports, there were no arrests announced and no suspect information shared with the public.
Months later, loved ones gathered to keep his memory close—lighting candles, sharing stories, and marking the birthday he never reached—while police continued to investigate. The remembrances made clear that behind the case number was a son and friend whose loss reverberated well beyond the taped-off street where officers first responded. Public updates still did not report an arrest or name a suspect; the case remained open, dependent on tips and the quiet, methodical progress of a homicide inquiry.
